Deadpool is the latest in a slew of superhero movies released in the past decade and is Tim Miller’s directorial debut. For those who are interested, though the Deadpool comic series is technically a Marvel franchise, this movie is not part of the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (featuring movies like Thor, Iron Man and The Avengers), which is owned by Disney. Instead, this movie falls into the X-Men universe, which is owned by 20th Century Fox. Though the Deadpool character already made an appearance in the movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, this movie serves to rewrite canon in the most humorous of ways.

Deadpool focuses on a good-hearted and crass mercenary named Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who is a bad guy that hurts “worse guys.” He falls in love with an escort named Vanessa Carlysle (Morena Baccarin), but just as things are looking good, Wilson is diagnosed with deadly cancer. In order to save himself from dying, Wilson undergoes an experimental treatment from a shady organization that claims that can help him. The treatments turn out to be part of a larger scheme and Wilson gains super-powers that allow him to heal from almost any injury (at the expense of severe disfigurement). He escapes from the facility and vows to hunt down the people who disfigured him, most specifically another human with super-powers, Ajax (Ed Skrein).

In case you have not seen the effective and creative advertisement campaign that this movie has put out, it was released on Valentine’s Day as part of a tongue-in-cheek joke. And while this movie is certainly a graphic, gory, irreverent super-hero flick, it does have a somewhat compelling love story. But what really makes this film is its humor. It has a wide range of humor from physical gags, to meta-humor, and immature toilet jokes. Some of the jokes were absolutely hilarious and I could tell that there were some great jokes buried deep in the movie for the hardcore fans. If you wanted something that is a mix between Monty Python and a Tarantino film, this is right up your alley. It is an incredibly self-aware film and it pokes fun at its inadequacies (why are only two X-Men in the film?) and itself (there was a lot of self-deprecating jokes about Ryan Reynolds).

The only criticism I could find with this movie is that it feels a little rushed. And when the movie did slow down for a bit, it really dragged. When you leave this film, many will feel like there was a lot crammed into a short time and be left wanting more. This certainly means that I am all on board for the sequel (and based on early box office numbers, it almost certainly is getting a sequel) and can’t wait to see where this franchise goes. So, whether you are a die-hard comic book fan or just a casual movie goer, I would whole-heartedly recommend this movie. It’s a good time for anyone who likes humor with some action on the side.